Stars — In Our Bedroom After The War

Hope, despair, hooking up, intrigue, suspense and disappointment — they're all in one song ("Personal") from Stars' latest indie-pop odyssey. Fans of Set Yourself On Fire won't be disappointed one bit with this full-bodied, emotionally recharged follow-up, which puts a heavy focus on dramatics, orchestration and chorus lines so sticky they'll be gumming up listeners' brains for months. Both Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan delicately spew out human emotion like it's everybody's business. The former still manages to take on the overly-theatrical boy role, while the latter, a little more versatile, morphs from actress to rock chick ("Bitches In Tokyo") to cool girlfriend. Despite their differences — which are now and have always been a good thing — the pair also strike a necessary balance of boy/girl harmonies, back-and-forth songs and solo numbers. Triumphant, delicate, sweet, your best friend and diary out loud, In Our Bedroom is a gift to Canadian pop music.

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